At the beginning of July 2025 a new and innovative option for respite accommodation opened in Whangarei. This initiative has been lead by the Taiho Trust in partnership with the Whangarei Accessible Housing Trust (WAHT). The service provides an accessible house for families, aiming to improve respite care availability. The need for this service came out of a survey conducted by the Taiho Trust which highlighted a severe shortage of respite options for disabled people in Northland.
WAHT is renting one of our three bedroom homes to the Taiho Trust who will coordinate the bookings of family members who want to use the house to provide respite care for their disabled family member. The house is in central Whangarei and is fully furnished with equipment such as an adjustable bed, hoist and shower chair. This will initially be a six month trial to assess what demand there is for such a facility. WAHT are delighted to be involved in this new venture.
An excellent article on this initiative written by Jonny Wilkinson, the CEO of the Taiho Trust, is in the Northern Advocate and can be read by clicking on the link below:
